Half Life
by Linwe Elendil
Summary: Set after Divide and Conquer.  Includes spoilers for D&C and Upgrades.  SJ, of course!  Rated T for a little bit of language.  Please R&R, you will make my day.  COMPLETE!
1. Half Empty

Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own the rights. Big shock, I know.

Okay, so I'm taking another stab at Stargate. Don't know if I've quite got the characters though. Let me know what you think, please! This contains very large spoilers (and even lines of dialogue) from the episodes _Upgrades_ and _Divide and Conquer_. I think I'm hopelessly addicted to Jack and Sam! ;-)

For those waiting for me to update "Finally" – I haven't forgotten it! I just got blindsided by this while I was stuck in traffic for _**two and a half hours…**_ :-P

* * *

Jack sat draped in his favorite chair – a beer held loosely in one hand as ghosts of the day's events trailed through his thoughts. 

"_He would not leave you?"_

Anise's voice echoed in his head.

"_No." _Carter had replied._ "He tried everything he could to disable the shield." _

"_And when he failed?" _

"_I told him again that he should go. But I knew he wouldn't leave."_

"_How did you know that?"_

"_Because… had our situations been reversed, I would have stayed as well."_

"_Why?"_

She had gone silent for a moment while she took a deep breath.

"_Because I care about him, too."_

Jack took another drink from the nearly forgotten bottle and winced as he remembered her request.

"_Sir, none of this has to leave this room."_

He had tried to hide his shock as he stammered, _"We're okay with that?"_ Now, however, he wanted to kick himself for asking such a stupid question – for agreeing blindly to her gag order. He sat brooding for a few minutes before he grabbed his jacket and headed out the door.

"I'm **_not_** okay with it."

xXx

Sam ran a tired hand through her hair as she stared at the computer screen. She tried to refocus – only to realize she had read the same sentence four times. Whatever sedative Janet had given her was still lingering in her system, and Sam began to wonder how she had stayed awake so long. She closed her eyes for a moment, only to rediscover the reason. Her mind was flooded with images. Zatarc testing, the attempted assassination, Martouf's death, Colonel O'Neill's confession, not to mention her own…

_Stop right there, _she told herself. It was all too much to handle – hence the reason she couldn't bring herself to go home. The silence that awaited her there would be her undoing. _After everything that happened today I'm allowed to cower in a corner, aren't I?_

"_Sure you are, Carter,"_ a voice in her head answered. _"But it's after midnight. Time for all good little soldiers to get some rest…"_ She knew who the voice belonged to, of course. She had heard it for a few years now, though she could never quite remember the first time it had shown up. Part of her felt that it had always been there, and her experiences with him on SG1 had merely helped her phantasmal conscience take a more permanent shape. She had tried not to count the number of times she wished he would show up in her lab tonight, taking her into his warm comforting arms while she cried.

Twenty-three.

_I do **not** need to be thinking about this._

Sighing, she pushed down the feelings that threaten to spill from her eyes. Sitting here wasn't helping anymore. There was nothing for it; she would have to go home. Looking at the empty doorway, Sam turned off the light and marched as resolutely as she could from the room.

xXx

"_Sir, there's no time!"_

Sam turned a sharp corner on the drive home, and noticed with a detached air that her hands seemed to be shaking when she lifted them from the wheel.

"_You did everything you could."_

"_Yes."_

"_You couldn't save her."_

"_No."_

"_But you still could have saved yourself."_

"_I guess."_

She closed her eyes briefly as she waited for a light to change and shook her head. But the scene that was playing out in her head would not be so easily dislodged.

"_Sir, just go!"_

"_No!"_

She floored the gas pedal as soon as the light showed green, leaving the faint smell of burning rubber behind her.

"_I didn't leave… because I would rather die myself – than lose Carter."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because I care about her. A lot more than I'm supposed to."_

She parked and walked toward her front door, her knees shaking. Fumbling with the keys, she dropped them into the darkness.

"Damn…" Sam bent down to retrieve them, and gasped as she felt another set of fingers brush her own. She stood too quickly – and spots danced in her vision. Finally, the face of Jack O'Neill swam into focus. She felt her jaw drop in shock. "Sir?" They stared at each other, unmoving. "How long have you been here, sir?"

"How long have you been hiding in your lab?" came his retort.

Without warning, Jack leaned forward and pulled her into an embrace. "What are you doing?" she asked in shock. Her brain seemed to have jammed – her thoughts scattered on the wind as his subtle cologne invaded her senses. Sam didn't think she could pull away; she was shaking so badly that his support was likely the only thing keeping her on her feet.

"What I think you need at the moment," came his whispered reply. As he held her close, Sam willed herself not to cry, and breathed deeply. Her sigh was choked off as she noticed a bitter scent in the air around her, not fully masked by his musky smell. She looked up in surprise.

"Are you drunk, sir?"

Jack held his index finger inches away from her nose, as if asking her to inspect it. "One beer, Carter. Hardly qualifies." Sam used the momentary absence of his hand to worm her way out of his arms. She couldn't bear to see the disappointment that would be settling on his features, so she stared avidly at an old cobweb near the door.

"I can't do this Jack. Not tonight." Her mind latched onto the most obvious and innocent reason it could find. "I lost a good friend today." She heard him swallow heavily – whether at the use of his first name or the mention of Martouf, she wasn't sure.

"I know. I'm sorry." She could tell he meant it, and his sincerity brought her eyes back up to meet his.

"I killed him, sir." Her eyes misted over, and she cursed them for betraying her. She didn't realize just how deeply she had been burying the guilt that now crashed over her in waves. Jack said nothing, only put his arms around her again. A small sob escaped her throat, and he crushed her to him, one hand reaching up to stroke her hair.

"Shh… It's alright. You did what you had to do – what he needed you to do."

Sam sniffed hard. She wanted to kick herself for the way she was acting. _Falling apart in your CO's arms isn't a good career move_, she thought. And yet, she could not pull away again. He was right – she needed this. She didn't know how long they stood there, rocking gently back and forth.

When she finally leaned back far enough to thank him, she was startled to find that their faces were an inch apart. His gaze rested on her lips for a fraction of a second before his head began to close the gap between them. Sam jerked her own head a few more inches away.

"We can't," she murmured.

"Why?" he whispered, his voice almost gruff. She struggled to breathe as he stared in her eyes.

"Because…" She thought furiously.

"I can always retire again." Sam couldn't help it, her mind ran forward to a future where she and Jack were no longer working together, where they were free to explore the feelings that had surfaced between them. Would they be lovers? Husband and wife? Raise children in between bouts of saving the world? It didn't… feel right to her. And yet, she couldn't see a future that didn't have him in it.

"No, sir. You can't." Jack flinched at her formality, but she pushed on. "No matter how much I may… need you at times," she took a deep breath, "SG1 needs you more." She couldn't help it. The disappointment on his face was so vivid that she raised a hand to gently stroke his cheek. "Just think about how many times the team would have died if you hadn't been there."

"I'm not the only one who can get Daniel and Teal'c out of a tight spot. I've seen you do it, too." He didn't know it, but those words were like the final nail in the coffin for Sam.

"Exactly. SG1 needs both of us. You can't retire, and I can't resign. There's too much we both have to do."

Jack looked over her head as he sighed. "Just when did we sign our lives and futures over to the SG project?"

Sam tried to smile, but gave up before her mouth could settle into a painful grimace. "I think it was the first time we stepped through that gate together." This time she did smile. "Or rather, the time that you _pushed_ me through it." Jack rested his forehead on hers, his arms still held tightly around her. He grinned for a moment before his expression became serious.

"If ignoring the… feelings we have for each other is a sacrifice we have to make in order to continue saving the world, I think we deserve some kind of reward…" He leaned in toward her lips again.

"Sir…" Her half-protests were silenced by his sudden whisper.

"Tomorrow." She could almost taste his breath as it caressed her skin. "Tonight – right now – nothing's gonna stand between us. I think we've earned that much."

She stood, rooted to the spot, as their lips brushed. The kiss was gentle at first, but they rapidly gave up on pretense and drank each other in. When Jack finally pulled back, Sam had to bury a pang of frustration at the loss of his warmth. "I should go," she heard him say. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak, and watched through tear-clouded eyes as he got in his truck and drove away. By the time her alarm went off, hours later, she was already beginning to wonder if the whole thing had been a dream.

xXx

Jack managed to make it two blocks before pulling sharply into the nearest curb. Throwing his truck in park, he gripped the steering wheel tightly and found himself resting his forehead against it – part of him absently noting the difference between the hard wheel and the softness of Carter's skin. He took a ragged breath and held it until his lungs burned.

"Aw, hell…" he exhaled. Kissing her had only made things worse. But if she wanted everything buried in that damned room, then that's what he would do. Even if it killed him.

Because he loved her.

* * *

This was going to be a songfic, but the lyrics threw the story off. The song that inspired this is "Half Life" by Duncan Sheik (hence the title). I think really describes Jack and Sam. Listen if you get a chance! 

So, how did I do?

;-)


	2. Half Pint

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, and I mean _anything_, affiliated with Stargate SG-1! I just wanted to take the team out to play. :-)

My muse needs a swift kick in the pants! I've been trying for days to write the next chapter of my Harry Potter fic "Finally" (I even know what is going to happen in it), but everything ends up hideous!!! All I can seem to spit out are Stargate stories. Not that I mind them, I just usually prefer to understand a series more before I write about it. I haven't even finished watching the first season yet… Not that I haven't skipped around and seen a few other episodes – I'm a Jack/Sam shipper after all. You can't expect me to wait forever to see their best moments. ;-)

So, here goes. I was going to leave this on its own – as the first Stargate fic I've written that has nothing to do with an actual episode – but I decided that it would also work well as a continuation of "Half Life." Please, I beg of you, let me know if I've done a good job with the characters. I've still got the training wheels on, after all!

* * *

Sam fought the brief disorientation she always felt after traveling through the gate. Swallowing heavily, she wondered if it would ever fade. _Not likely,_ she admitted. She blinked in the harsh sun, and glanced around. The scientist in her noticed the bright sky, the rather stunted growth of trees that lingered about a dozen feet from the stargate, and the strange cries of animals that emanated from the undergrowth.

The Air Force Captain in her noticed that her team was nowhere in sight.

The wormhole closed behind her with a gust of sound, and Sam nearly jumped. "Guys?" she called out, telling herself she only imagined the faint edge of panic in her voice. "Colonel O'Neill?" Something chirped behind her, and she spun to stare straight through the gate. There was nothing there. "Daniel?" The dais constructed here was taller than most they had discovered, and the forest trees were so short that she was almost able to see over them. Nothing was stirring in the shadows there. "Teal'c?"

She climbed cautiously down the stairs, P-90 at the ready. She started a slow circle, her eyes alert for any sign of danger. A faint rustling from behind caused her to turn sharply. Sam caught a glimpse of a brown face surrounded by tufts of unruly dark hair, but she was not allowed the luxury of staring at the native for long. Something soft and wet was thrown in her face, and she suddenly found herself unable to breathe. She gagged as the thing slithered into her mouth and lodged in her windpipe, thoroughly blocking off all of her oxygen. Dropping her weapon, Sam clawed at her throat as she fell to her knees. No sound escaped from her lips – calling out for help was useless. Her heartbeat was pounding a painful rhythm in her head, and she realized she had only moments before it would likely stop. With shaking fingers she unstrapped her helmet as spots danced in her vision. But before she could bring her hand to her mouth to try and pull out the strangling substance, her strength evaporated, and everything went dark.

xXx

"Carter…? Carter… you alright?" Sam had to push down a vague sense of disappointment. She could hear Jack's voice, but the warmth and pressure of his hands on her face was missing. He wasn't even shaking her by the shoulders. _All things considered,_ she thought – remembering their kiss two weeks ago – _that's probably for the best…_

"C'mon, Carter – get up! That's an order!" Sam gritted her teeth against the pain in her head as she tried to ignore his incessant nagging.

"Working on it, sir," she called out weakly. She opened her eyes and glanced to the left to see Jack slump against the set of iron bars the separated them in relief. He straightened up a mere second later – _Daniel and Teal'c must be nearby_ – though the concern for her never quite left his eyes. "What happened?" Sam brought one hand up to massage her head, surprised by the vivid green vine that was firmly wrapped around her wrist. She lifted her other arm and found one there as well. Her brow furrowed. "Where are we?" Sitting up gingerly, Sam followed the separate trails of green to a vine covered wall just behind her.

"Daniel?" Jack turned to his left, and Sam could make out another set of bars. The archeologist was behind those, with Teal'c in his own cage just behind Daniel. "Any ideas?"

"Uh… I'm guessing it's a prison." Sam could see Jack roll his eyes.

"And here I thought all these bars and plants were for decoration." When Daniel didn't elaborate, Jack gestured toward him with one hand – Sam noticed a vine swing from his own wrist as he did so. "Got any _more_ details you can give us Oh-Observant-One?"

Daniel raised his eyebrows, as if the answer was obvious, and readjusted his glasses. "Well… there don't appear to be any markings or writing, so I have no idea what kind of people built this place, but my best guess is that the primitives we encountered before didn't do it."

"Indeed," came Teal'c voice from farther off. Sam shivered as she remembered choking on some foul substance. She hugged her knees to her chest, still too tired to stand.

"Guesses as to what race the _primitives_" Jack drew quotation marks in the air with his fingers, "come from?"

"They are humanoid," Daniel said, squinting as he recalled his own short encounter, "but I don't think they originated from Earth. They seem to have more in common with the Nox than any other species we've discovered – a certain connection to nature, if you will." He gestured to the plant draped wall behind him, and his bindings rippled.

"Yeah, about that," Sam threw in, "What's the story on the lovely bracelets we're all sporting?"

"They seem to allow us free movement in our cells, but prevent us from reaching the door." At Teal'c's succinct explanation, Sam looked up sharply. Sure enough, there was a solid door not three feet in front of her, made from the same metal material the bars consisted of. _I must be a more tired than I thought, to have missed that!_ She wiped a hand over her face; something that did not go unnoticed by her CO.

"You alright, Carter?"

_No,_ she thought,_ I'm exhausted any my head is killing me._ "Fine, sir." Sam had learned long ago, a bald-faced lie was always preferable to admitting weakness. Especially if you were a female officer.

"Uh, huh," Jack murmured – seeing through her immediately. He opened his mouth – no doubt to deliver some smart retort – but the sound of footsteps made him fall silent. Sam stood, too quickly, and wavered for a moment before leaning against the bars for support. She could feel Jack, mere inches away, and struggled to keep her breathing calm as she physically restrained herself from reaching for him. All four of their doors opened simultaneously, and each prisoner saw themselves confronted by the native that had attacked them. They had murky brown eyes, that seemed to be nearly black, and were sparsely clothed in a rough cloth that contained figments of leaves and dirt. The hair that covered their heads was dark and bushy; it seemed to start just at the edge of their faces – though the rest of their bodies seemed remarkably smooth and hairless. Their feet and arms were bare – their dark skin standing out sharply against the cold metal of the prison walls. The dark faced arrivals each waved a hand, causing the bindings to become taut. Sam felt herself fly back toward the rear wall, but the pain she expected never came. It seemed the plants helped to soften the blow. Her relief was short lived, however, as new tendrils began to snake their way around her arms, torso, legs, waist, and shoulders. She struggled, and deduced from the soft grunting coming from her left, that her teammates were doing the same. Each of them eventually decided their attempts were in vain, and sagged in momentary acceptance of the situation.

Their captors, who surprisingly seemed to match each of them in height and weight, stepped into their respective cells. As she looked at them, Sam couldn't help but feel a twinge of bitterness – her's was easily the smallest of the lot. He looked at her, eyes narrowed, but when he spoke, it was not with his voice. Instead, Sam heard the words echoing in her mind.

_You are… leader?_

She blinked. "What? No…"

"I'm the leader," Jack said. Sam couldn't even turn her head, so effectively was she bound, but it seemed the Colonel had heard him, too. "My name is Colonel Jack O'Neill of the –"

_I will speak only to this one,_ the native interrupted.

"Why?" She couldn't help it – Jack had told her before that her curiosity would likely get her killed, but this was too unorthodox to go unexplained.

_Your size denotes you to be the greatest of these._

Sam felt her jaw drop in shock. Daniel called out from two cells away, "Of course! Remember the trees? How everything seems shorter here? Perhaps smaller stature is considered a mark of power and authority!"

"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," Jack murmured.

The native held up what appeared to be the same slimy substance that had nearly killed Sam by the dais. _Vreshnac sends his greetings as well, and apologizes for his… overzealousness earlier. He was anxious to learn about you, and in his haste he failed to consider the possible consequences. _

"What the hell is that thing?" called the Colonel from her left. Apparently he could watch what was going on in her cell, though Sam wondered how. Perhaps he was not seen as much of a threat compared to the woman next to him, and as such, was not as tightly bound. Sam nearly laughed at the absurdity of it all, but her memories of the quivering mass before her were enough to keep her mouth shut tight.

The leader sent a disgusted look toward Jack, as if offended. He took one step closer to the bars. _You will __**not**__ speak again unless addressed. _Apparently knowing he had crossed a line, Jack fell silent – though Sam could imagine perfectly well just what he wanted to say to the man. Looking back at her, the native continued. _I am Ardain – Chief – and this is my counsel and friend, Vreshnac. _Sam decided she should take the initiative, before Jack's mouth got him into any more trouble.

"What is it you want with us?"

_For the moment, only to meet you. The Marim deliberate tonight. We will discuss your future then._ He turned to leave. _But I feel to warn you – outsiders are not greatly tolerated, and they are certainly never trusted._

Once Ardain had left, the other natives stepped from the cells and waved their hands as the doors closed. Sam stumbled forward as the plants suddenly released her, leaving only the two vines trailing loosely from her wrists. She turned to the bars, glancing at each of her teammates in turn. Her gaze stopped on Jack – the concern he held in his eyes had doubled since the last time he looked at her.

"What do we do now?" she asked them all softly. Teal'c frowned, Daniel's brow furrowed, and Jack shook his head slowly.

"I have no idea…"

* * *

That was _so_ not how I planned for this to go, but what to you think? 


	3. Half Dead

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Stargate SG-1 (as if that wasn't obvious), but I have just started watching Season 2!

Side note: Am I the only one who thinks it's odd that I'm only in Season 2, but I'm writing this story for Season 4? Shrugs Oh, well!

I'm sorry to say that I have come to the conclusion that this is the penultimate chapter. I've really enjoyed this particular imaginative romp through the Stargate, but all good things must come to an end. I hope all who are reading enjoy the last two installments!

* * *

"Guys!" All chatter stopped as Sam's yell of frustration echoed through their cells. They had spent the last three hours trying to come up with a plan – each more ridiculous than the last. She was beginning to wonder if the planet was having some kind of effect on them – with all the stupidity that was running rampant, they would be lucky to survive the night. She glanced at them individually from her place on the floor. "Teal'c – we don't have weapons, let alone an army. And may I remind you that the Goa'uld are our enemy, and therefore unlikely to save us? Daniel – I very much doubt there's a magic button we can push to get us out of here. We haven't even found any traces of technology. And, Jack – have you even seen any other women on this rock? Not that any of your suggestions involving them would help us get free…" She ran a hand through her hair as she sighed. "Why don't the three of you just take a break? Sit down – relax." They began mumbling, but did as she requested. Sam shook her head, confusion evident on her face. Why were her teammates suddenly acting like brain-dead teenagers?

"Whoa…" Daniel's voice was shaking as he put a hand to his head. Teal'c took a deep breath and closed his eyes as Jack slapped himself – hard.

"You can say that again," he replied, turning to the archeologist.

"What is it?" Sam asked, concerned.

"Not sure," Daniel said, removing his glasses to rub his eyes. "My head feels like I've just inhaled too much helium."

"Huh?" Jack murmured. "As in balloons?"

"Jack, don't tell me you've never used helium to try and raise the level of your voice."

"Once or twice. Didn't get that many balloons as a kid – they depressed me." Sam looked at her CO in shock, and he winced. Clearly he hadn't meant to say that. "I always let 'em go, wishing I could fly into space too." He shrugged, and she blinked. Daniel continued, breathing deeply.

"Some colleagues and I used to gather balloons left over from seminars and conventions, and we would, um, study the effects of long term helium usage." Now it was Daniel's turn to wince in embarrassment. Jack let out a quiet chuckle.

"What geeks do for fun…"

Daniel shoved his glasses back onto his face, choosing not to dignify the comment with a response. Instead, he pushed on. "I can't explain why, but the air closer to the ground seems to be richer in oxygen. My guess is that we were being deprived of it as we stood."

"That would explain your odd behavior," Sam conceded.

"And why those of smaller stature are made to be leaders," Teal'c added. "They are likely more able to think clearly and make wise decisions."

"So… no standing up," Jack summarized. "Sitting good, standing bad. Got it." He thought for a minute. "Hey, how come the low air level –"

"Oxygen content," Daniel cut in.

"Whatever," Jack continued. "How come it doesn't seem to affect the natives?"

"I would guess that their bodies build up something of a tolerance during their lifespan," Daniel explained.

"And then there's the fact that their physiology appears different from ours," Sam added.

"Uh, huh," Jack said, his voice dull. "How does this help us?"

The prison fell silent. "Good to know," Jack muttered. "Good to know."

The shuffling of footsteps interrupted their musings. Sam always hated this part. Waiting for judgment was bad enough, but there was something about hearing the jury file in that made her stomach twist with anxiety. She wondered if what approached was a welcoming party, or an execution squad.

When the door to her cell opened, however, Sam felt all traces of fear leave her as she caught the smile on Ardain's face. He waved a hand, and the vivid green vines fell from her wrists. She heard the sound echo six times from the cells next to hers, and could only assume that the others had been similarly freed. Reaching up, she grasped the hand Ardain offered her.

_On behalf of the Marim, I welcome you to Veshnu._

Sam smiled.

_xXx_

A large feast had been prepared in their honor – something Sam didn't think she would ever get used to. The team was cautious with what they ate – having learned the hard way that just because a race appeared human, it did not mean their food was palatable. Sam honestly thought she should be receiving royalties from the Maalox company for how much of the vile substance she had consumed in the last few years. Or at the very least, a stock option.

The natives took their turns staring at SG-1 in wonder – Sam particularly. Daniel supposed it was due to her height in combination with her gender. Most of the women here (for there were plenty of them to be seen at the celebration) were easily 6'4" – many were even taller than the men. Sam tried her best not to shake her head at the inverted nature of their society, in comparison to Earth's own. As the night wore on, however, the novelty of the "visitors" wore off, and Sam walked toward the colonel. A beautiful woman with dark hair approached him, offering a clear amber fluid for him to drink. Jack hid a grimace and took a sip, then nodded politely.

"Sha-ni!" The cry caused Sam and Jack to look to the right. Ardain had shouted at the woman, in what was clearly the native language here, but Sam heard his echo in her mind. _No!_ He walked over to the tall woman, whispering. _They are guests. You should not have done that. Retire for the night._ She nodded lazily and attempted to slip into a nearby tent. Ardain gently took one arm and steered her to a different one that was a few feet away. Sam watched them leave; confusion – and not a little apprehension – settling on her features. Her thoughts flashed back to another planet where a certain, seemingly innocent cake had drugged her CO into marriage with a native. Add to that the fact that the Goa'uld nanotechnology on said planet had nearly killed him, and – well, it wasn't something she wanted him to experience again.

"What is it, Carter?" Jack's voice was soft. She sighed.

"Nothing, sir. Paranoid, I guess." He nodded in understanding.

"Relax, Captain – that's an order." She sat next to him, fighting the fatigue that tempted her to rest her head on his shoulder as he continued. "For what it's worth, I feel fi –" A sharp intake of breath cut off his words, and Sam turned to stare at him as he clutched his stomach – eyes wide with pain.

"Very funny, sir," she murmured, wondering how long he had spent on his feet tonight. Only when he fell to his knees in front of the fire, did her heart begin to race. His face was pale, and she grabbed his upper arms, saving him from falling into the flames. Two words escaped his lips as he collapsed into the dirt beside her.

"No… joke…"

_Dammit._

"_Ardain!"_ Sam cried as she felt Jack's neck for a pulse. It was there, but weak. _**"Ardain!"**_ Teal'c and Daniel came running.

"What happened?" Daniel asked, crouching next to her.

"A – a woman," she stammered, "Offered him s-something to drink… He just –" she swallowed hard, "–collapsed." Daniel closed his eyes for a moment.

"_**ARDAIN!!!"**_ The archeologist's voice echoed loudly through the clearing, causing Sam to jump. All music ceased as the chief walked slowly toward them. His face was unreadable. Daniel and Teal'c rose up to their full height, but Sam knew this would not intimidate the man. She tugged on their wrists, pulling them back down before standing herself. She was two inches shorter than Ardain, and ground her teeth in fury as the man's shoulders seemed to slump.

"What did she do to Ja – Colonel O'Neill?" Sam barely caught the slip; fear and anger coursed through her in equal measure.

The chief stared at the ground. _She has given him of the kenta tree. _Sam glared and waited for him to continue. _It is custom among our people that those who reach a certain advance of life are better served by returning to the ground. It is the highest honor for them, as their bodies sustain the land, and thereby us. Mariana was confused. She did not realize that your Colonel O'Neill was not subject to our customs._

"What does that mean?" Sam asked, terrified that she already knew the answer.

_It means that Colonel O'Neill will soon die._

Sam couldn't help it; she swayed on the spot. _There has to be a way to save him._ Her head swam as her eyes brushed the clearing – looking everywhere except at Jack. The same helplessness she had felt as she stared at him through the Goa'uld shield threatened to overwhelm her now, and she furiously blinked back tears. A cool hand touched hers, and her blurred vision met Ardain's face.

_These feelings you hide… they are not weakness._ _Why must you bury them so deep? _Sam gaped at him, and her eyes looked to Daniel and Teal'c as her face reddened. _They cannot hear me. Vreshnac is clouding their minds. _She nodded, the numbness of shock still spreading over her. Jack's breathing became labored, and she crouched down next to him, gently grasping his face. Tears began to pour down her cheeks at the pain she saw in his eyes.

"Sam…" his voice was weak, and she held back a sob. Time seemed to break (with her heart), and she took Jack in her arms, cradling him gently. His breath was alarmingly shallow as she leaned down to kiss him.

"I love you," she whispered, as he exhaled one last time and became still.

He was dead.

* * *

I know, I left you with a horrible cliffhanger! I hope to have the last chapter up soon, though. :-D

Special thanks to **Grazia D.** (as always) and **7 League Boots** – whose rapid reviews of my newest story _50 Words or Less_ inspired me to get off my duff and finish this chapter! It's always nice to hear you're not as hopeless as you think you are. ;-)


	4. Half Full

Disclaimer: No offense, but if you think I own the rights to Stargate, or that I'm making any money off of this, you need to have your head examined…

Alright, so yet again, this didn't go exactly where I had planned, but I think I like it better than what I came up with originally. :-)

* * *

"Samantha…" 

_No way in hell am I opening my eyes_, she told herself as she fought to bury her mind deeper into the darkness. _It hurts too much._

"Sam, c'mon. Wake up."

This time she could feel his hands, they were cold but tender as they traced her forehead, brushing away stray tendrils of hair – his touch soothing away her fear. Was she dead? She began to wonder if Juliet's wish been granted her – that she too could die from lingering traces of poison on Romeo's lips. But that was when she noticed what must have been a sharp rock under her left shoulder. She began to squirm, trying to dislodge the offending piece of nature, when she felt herself being propped up in his arms.

"Samantha," his voice said, softer than she had thought possible. "I need you to wake up."

She opened her eyes –

– And found herself face to face with a very much alive Colonel Jack O'Neill. Her brow furrowed in confusion as he smiled. She didn't have much time to wonder how their roles had become reversed (hadn't she been holding him?) as he pressed his lips to hers in a searing kiss. She answered his passion with her own, reaching up to run her hands through his hair and down his back, as if trying to reassure herself that this was real. When they broke apart, gasping, he helped her to sit up. She winced, and one hand flew to her head. _Talk about a galactic hangover._

Looking around the forest clearing, she was shocked to see that they were back at the dais – the Stargate stood stoic and silent above them. She groaned in confusion, and Jack rested a hand on her neck, gently massaging it. "How did we get back here?" She turned to look in his eyes. "And how did you…" Her breath caught at the painful memory. "You were dead." Her eyes misted over, but she vowed she would not cry. Jack's face seemed to darken at her words, and he frowned.

"Sam," he began, unable or unwilling to go back to following protocol as he kept one arm clamped around her shoulders, "you're the one who died. I watched you get hit with a spear and bleed to death." Now it was her turn to be confused.

"What?"

_We are pleased to see that you have both awakened._

Sam looked around quickly and spotted the chief of the natives walking toward them. "Ardain? What's going on?"

_You have both passed through the ritual of the Marim. Vreshnac concluded that it would be the best way to understand your species._ His head tilted slightly to the left. _You are indeed a curious race._

Jack gestured to Daniel and Teal'c lying motionless nearby. "Will they be alright?"

_Yes, they will wake up soon._

Sam's brow furrowed as her mind tried to catch up with reality. "When did this 'ritual' begin?" she asked.

_When each of you came through the circle._

The whole thing had been a dream, Sam realized. Their captivity, the feast, Jack's death… She looked up at him again. What was it he had said – that she had died too? Ardain answered her question before she thought to ask it.

_The ritual involves the searching of one's soul. Vreshnac finds the most hidden, seemingly unattainable desires of your heart and shows you that they are possible._

Sam was reminded of the Gamekeeper they had met on another planet and pushed down a surge of anger – until she realized that Ardain's purpose had been quite different. His goal had been to break down her own erected barriers, not to watch her struggle with the past for his own amusement. Glancing at the hand that gripped her upper arm, Sam pushed down the unease caused by the knowledge that it had taken their supposed deaths to make them both see how much they truly cared about each other. She swallowed heavily. Where would they go from here?

Daniel groaned, and Jack hurriedly dropped his hold on Sam as the archeologist began to stir. _I guess I have my answer, _she thought sadly. Ardain took advantage of Daniel's slow revival to address them both once more.

_Vreshnac has showed me of your feelings, and the reasons why you cannot share in your love. _Sam may have been imagining it, but she could have sworn he was about to cry. _For the sacrifice you continue to make in fighting a dangerous enemy, our people will forever honor you, JackandSam._ At the sound of their names spoken together, almost as if they were one, Sam's vision blurred with tears, and Jack bowed his head.

"Thank you," he replied, his voice reverent. Without looking in her eyes, almost as if it would be unbearable, Jack offered her his hand, and they both stood, walking over to their teammates. Had they looked down, they would have noticed that their hands remained clasped – but it went unnoticed, so natural and comforting was the pressure and feel of each other's skin. Ardain stared at Daniel silently for a moment, then addressed Teal'c in the same manner. Sam didn't doubt that he was offering them words of advice or congratulations as well. Finally there came an unspoken agreement that it was time to go. The team nodded to each other, then at Ardain, in gratitude for all they had learned.

As Jack and Sam approached the wormhole, they reluctantly released each other and glanced back one final time at the chief.

_May you find the peace you so valiantly fight for, JackandSam. _

They both smiled sadly and stepped through the Stargate.

xXx

Ten years later, Sam stood at the kitchen sink, washing the breakfast dishes as she watched her young daughter playing in the backyard, and sighed in contentment. Strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind, and she leaned into her husband's embrace. Taking a deep breath of his scent, she turned to plant a soft kiss on his cheek, and shot him a playful grimace.

"You didn't shave this morning."

"It's Saturday," he answered roguishly, "I don't have to." He nuzzled his grizzly face into her neck and she fought to push him away, showering him with water and bubbles in the process.

His eyes widened. "Samantha O'Neill, you are sooo going to pay for that!" She wound one hand into Jack's already damp hair and pulled his head down to hers, smiling mischievously.

"I hope so," she murmured, just before she kissed him.

**

* * *

****The End**

See, you can trust me! Hope nobody choked on the fluff.

I can't stop smiling at the moment, and I think I like it that way!

:-D


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